The increase in infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C diff) can be traced to antibiotic use, according to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
The college emphasised a link between MRSA and antibiotics in the first of a series of position papers on healthcare associated infections.
According to the paper, Antibiotic Use and the Implications for HealthCare-Associated Infection, the general public in Ireland often expect an antibiotic when they have an infection, but most common infections are caused by viruses and therefore do not respond to antibiotics.
The document also identifies Ireland as one of only three countries in Europe where outpatient antibiotic prescribing is increasing (3 per cent since 2000).
Speaking at the launch of the position paper Prof Hilary Humphreys, chair of the college's policy group on healthcare-associated infection, said “Many bacterial infections have become resistant to antibiotics because of the bacteria's ability to change and adapt to different environments, including exposure to antibiotics”.
It is alarming that despite increasing awareness of this problem, Ireland is one of only three countries in Europe where outpatient antibiotic prescribing is increasing, he added.
Addressing members of the medical profession Prof Humphreys said: “We must remember that this is a problem largely created by the medical profession itself, as until recently we were the only people in a position to prescribe antibiotics."